


First Heartbreak and Thoughtful Realisations

by Cookies_and_Chaos



Category: Murder Most Unladylike Series - Robin Stevens
Genre: First Crush, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28367670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cookies_and_Chaos/pseuds/Cookies_and_Chaos
Summary: Since Daisy's first day at Deepdean, Henry always kind of knew that the younger girl had a crush on her. So she isn't entirely surprised when Daisy comes to her for advice as realisation starts to sink in. Pre-canon. Written for the 12 Days of Christmas 2020 Challenge, "Ten Important Thoughts".
Kudos: 7
Collections: 12 Days of Christmas Challenge 2020





	First Heartbreak and Thoughtful Realisations

"Henry..."

Henry's lips twitched with a smile. Daisy Wells always got this particular tone to her voice when she was about to ask either a favour or about something more serious than her usual enquiries.

"Daisy."

Daisy straightened up a few books on Henry's desk, then did the same to the photograph of Henry's family and her notebook.

"Would you like to be my monitor, Daisy? That way you could tidy up my things to your heart's content." Henry leant back on her chair and slung one arm over the back of it.

"You can't have a monitor until you're Head of the school," Daisy pointed out.

"We could make it an informal arrangement if you like putting my belongings in order so much," Henry offered with a grin.

Daisy frowned. "You're being ridiculous." Then she quickly lined up the pen so it was parallel with the notepad and folded her arms. "You have many good qualities, Henry, but your sense of humour is a little lacking."

There was the Daisy she knew, sharp and snide with her comments when someone had disarmed her. Henry raised an eyebrow and waited for Daisy to come out with whatever it was she wanted.

"I heard a rumour that you and Verity might be more sentimental that friends should be." Daisy wouldn't look at her as she spoke. Henry wondered if Daisy would get rid of that particular dead giveaway that she was lying as she got older.

"No you didn't," Henry said.

Daisy pursed her lips. "Fine. No I didn't. I saw you and her when you were out for your ramble last weekend. You really should be more careful. Anyone might have seen."

"Anyone didn't," Henry said, getting a sense of where this cautious conversation might be heading. "But you did, so what is it you really want to ask?"

"I didn't know you liked girls that way," Daisy said.

"That's not a question." Henry tried not to smile because this probably was a difficult chat for Daisy to have but the way she scowled at Henry's point was so petulant that it was almost impossible to not grin.

"Very well. Are you... _involved_ with Verity?" Daisy asked.

"Yes."

The straightforward admission seemed to throw Daisy and she took a moment to gather herself. "Are you in love with her?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Henry reconsidered. "Probably."

"Oh." A flicker of hurt that disappeared almost straight away. "How did you know?"

Henry wasn't oblivious, not by any stretch of the imagination, and she knew that more than a few of the younger girls had pashes on her. Most of them she could ignore with a faint sense of embarrassment at the pedestal their borderline hero worship and admiration placed her on. She couldn't entirely ignore Daisy, though she had never outright acknowledged the way she became just a little bit flustered when Henry thanked her for whichever small assistance Daisy had provided or the way she went a little rosy-cheeked when Henry congratulated her on a well-played game of lacrosse.

With that all in mind, Henry supposed it made sense that it was she that Daisy went to for help untangling the knot of unexamined feelings as she got older.

"I suppose it was more than a few things," Henry said, "I wanted to be around her, I looked forward to the times when it could just be the two of us, I missed her when she wasn't here. Mostly, I found I thought about her more than I ever expected."

Daisy looked down at her hands and twisted her mouth as she thought about Henry's words. Henry knew that Daisy would be able to reason her way through dealing with the disappointment. It was something that happened every year, realising that your admiration of an older girl was something that you grew through and out of because it could never be any more than that. Daisy, being more resilient than most, would manage her way through that and come out alright. It was what else was to come in the future that made Henry worry for her.

"The world isn't always kind though, for those of us who don't fit in," Henry said, feeling as though she must saying something to warn Daisy even though she hoped such a discovery might be years and years off for the younger girl.

"I never expected to fit in," Daisy said, her expression almost bewildered that Henry would think her so mundane. "I always expected to stand out. Adding another layer to that will hardly be of concern."

Henry grinned and shook her head. Back to the Daisy everyone had come to expect. "You can talk to me about this again, if you need to."

"I shouldn't imagine I will need to since I have my thoughts all ironed out about it," Daisy said, then faltered, "but thanks all the same. I must be going."

Daisy didn't give a reason for her abrupt departure and Henry was never going to ask for one. Mere seconds after Daisy had left, Verity arrived.

"Whatever did you say to Daisy?" Verity asked. "She gave me an absolutely filthy glare. I tell you, if looks could kill..."

"Don't worry about it, she's just working a few things out is all." 


End file.
